California theatre South Coast Repertory has partnered with Off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons to launch the Pinnacle commission, which will award $60,000 to a "major American playwright" for a new play. The commission, whose inaugural recipient will be announced in the spring, is part of The Lab@SCR, South Coast Rep.'s play-development initiative.

“Along with Paula Tomei, I am grateful to Tim Sanford, Adam Greenfield, and the entire team at Playwrights Horizons, who generously and instantly agreed to partner with us on this first Pinnacle commission as part of The Lab@SCR,” said SCR Artistic Director David Ivers. The Pinnacle playwright “is an artist of remarkable achievement whose work continues to bolster and challenge our field.”

New commissions given in 2019–2020 as part of The Lab@SCR include a musical project from Jane Bruce, a collaboration between playwright Kate Hamill and composer-performers The Bengsons, and plays from Kate Cortesi, Ana Nogueira, Spenser Davis, Shayan Lotfi, and Charly Evon Simpson.

The theatre also is currently developing Threshold by Amy Brenneman, Beatrice by Lauren Gunderson, Dory Fantasmagory by John Glore, and a musical adaptation of Prelude to a Kiss with a book by Craig Lucas, music by Daniel Messé, and lyrics by Sean Hartley.

Since 1983, SCR has awarded 339 commissions to 231 playwrights, composers, and lyricists, with more than 50 active commissions.